diff --git a/admin/settings.php b/admin/settings.php
index 0de590336be..7d715d2be15 100644
--- a/admin/settings.php
+++ b/admin/settings.php
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ if (!empty($SITE->fullname)) {
     echo '<td style="width: ' . $preferred_width_left . 'px;" id="left-column">';
     blocks_print_group($PAGE, $pageblocks, BLOCK_POS_LEFT);
     echo '</td>';
-    echo '<td id="middle-column" width="*">';
+    echo '<td id="middle-column">';
 } else {
 
     print_header();
diff --git a/admin/stickyblocks.php b/admin/stickyblocks.php
index 0059353b8ac..713b35e8043 100644
--- a/admin/stickyblocks.php
+++ b/admin/stickyblocks.php
@@ -48,16 +48,16 @@
         $blocks = blocks_setup($PAGE,BLOCKS_PINNED_TRUE);
         
         $blocks_preferred_width = bounded_number(180, blocks_preferred_width($blocks[BLOCK_POS_LEFT]), 210);
-        echo '<td style="vertical-align: top; width: '.$blocks_preferred_width.'px;" id="left-column">';
+        echo '<td valign="top" style="width: '.$blocks_preferred_width.'px;" id="left-column">';
         
         blocks_print_group($PAGE, $blocks, BLOCK_POS_LEFT);
     } else {
-        echo '<td style="vertical-align: top;" id="left-column">';
+        echo '<td valign="top" id="left-column">';
     }
     echo '</td>';
 
 
-    echo '<td valign="top" width="*" id="middle-column">';
+    echo '<td valign="top" id="middle-column">';
     print_simple_box_start('center');
     print_heading($strheading);
     echo '<form method="post" action="'.$CFG->wwwroot.'/'.$CFG->admin.'/stickyblocks.php">'
@@ -70,10 +70,10 @@
 
 
     if (!empty($pt)) {
-        echo '<td style="vertical-align: top; width: '.$blocks_preferred_width.'px;" id="left-column">';
+        echo '<td valign="top" style="width: '.$blocks_preferred_width.'px;" id="left-column">';
         blocks_print_group($PAGE, $blocks, BLOCK_POS_RIGHT);
     }
-    echo '<td style="vertical-align: top;" id="left-column">';
+    echo '<td valign="top" id="left-column">';
     echo '</td>';
   
     echo '</tr></table>';
diff --git a/lib/adminlib.php b/lib/adminlib.php
index 67ee649f7e6..f27280cf518 100644
--- a/lib/adminlib.php
+++ b/lib/adminlib.php
@@ -2386,7 +2386,7 @@ function admin_externalpage_print_header($adminroot) {
         echo '<td style="width: ' . $preferred_width_left . 'px;" id="left-column">';
         blocks_print_group($PAGE, $pageblocks, BLOCK_POS_LEFT);
         echo '</td>';
-        echo '<td id="middle-column" width="*">';
+        echo '<td id="middle-column">';
     } else {
         print_header();
     }
diff --git a/my/index.php b/my/index.php
index 919a0e1abfb..8766796ee57 100644
--- a/my/index.php
+++ b/my/index.php
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@
         echo '</td>';
     }
 
-    echo '<td valign="top" width="*" id="middle-column">';
+    echo '<td valign="top" id="middle-column">';
 
 /// The main overview in the middle of the page
     $courses = get_my_courses($USER->id);